Computers have been utilized as devices for testing web servers and software applications running on the web servers. Computers used to test the web-based software applications are referred to herein as virtual web user systems, since they can duplicate actions of one or more web users who are interacting with the software application.
Virtual web user systems have been provided that are programmed in a variety of ways. For example, an E-test™ virtual web user system from EMPIRIX®, Inc. of Bedford, Mass., can be programmed in Visual Basic. The Visual Basic program can include test scripts that cause the virtual web user system to perform a sequence of tests of the web server. For example, the test scripts can be associated with simulated web user queries to the web server, such as simulated mouse clicks or simulated data entry, for example a name and an address, made by a web user.
Web servers can be tested in a variety of test contexts, and the virtual web user system has been applied to the variety of test contexts. One test context is referred to as functional testing which is defined as the testing generally performed before the web server is released to the public in order to verify that the web server hardware and/or software is functioning properly.
Another test context is known as load testing which is generally defined as the testing generally performed while the web server hardware and software is in public use to verify that the web server hardware and/or software can accommodate at least a certain number of simultaneous web users. Alternatively, the load testing can be performed while the web server is not in public use. In load testing, it is desirable to provide a large number of virtual web users to test the delay time latencies that can be caused by many simultaneous web users.
Yet another test context is known as monitoring testing which is understood to be testing that is generally performed while the web server is in public use to verify that the web server hardware and/or software is operational. The monitoring testing may be performed in an automatic background mode wherein the monitoring testing is run at predetermined time intervals to ensure the web server is running properly,
Each of the functional testing, the load testing, and the monitoring testing, has different requirements. For example, a designer of the web server system using a functional test may want to test each possible path through the variety of branching web access options presented to a web user on a web page. In functional testing it may only be necessary to provide a single virtual web user, which exercises, in sequence, most or all of the possible paths through the web page. For another example, a test manager using a load test may want to test only some of the variety of paths through the web page. For yet another example, a test manager using a monitoring test may want to minimally test the general operation of the software application from time to time. In monitoring testing it may only be necessary to provide a single virtual web user, and exercise one or a small number of paths through the web page.